Is genetic epistemology possible?
British Journal for the Philosophy of Science 38 (3):283-299 (1987)
| Abstract | Several philosophers have questioned the possibility of a genetic epistemology, an epistemology concerned with the developmental transitions between successive states of knowledge in the individual person. Since most arguments against the possibility of a genetic epistemology crucially depend upon a sharp distinction between the genesis of an idea and its justification, I argue that current philosophy of science raises serious questions about the universal validity of this distinction. Then I discuss several senses of the genetic fallacy, indicating which sense of ‘genesis’ is relevant to epistemology. Next I consider the objection that psychology is irrelevant to epistemology, and that since "genetic epistemology" is really psychology, "genetic epistemology" is irrelevant to a real epistemology. Finally, I take up the objection that nothing discovered in genetic psychology could be relevant to a genetic epistemology. These last two arguments are based upon what I claim to be a mistaken notion of the nature of psychology. Suitably interpreted, psychology can assist genetic epistemology precisely in the way that the history of science assists current philosonhv of science. *I owe considerable thanks to Jann Benson, Ken Freeman, Bernie Rollin and Ron Williams for their helpful discussions concerning many of the issues discussed in this paper. I also wish to thank David Hamlyn, John Heil, William Lycan, Harvey Siegel and an anonymous reviewer for their comments and suggestions. It goes without saying that none of these individuals (especially Hamlyn and Siegel) necessarily agree with me. An earlier version of this paper was read at Colorado State University where the audience's comments were beneficial. | |||||||||
| Keywords | No keywords specified (fix it) | |||||||||
| Categories | ||||||||||
| Options |
|
|||||||||
Download options| PhilPapers Archive |
Upload a copy of this paper Check publisher's policy on self-archival Papers currently archived: 5,653 |
| External links |
 |
| Through your library | Configure |
Similar books and articlesJean Piaget (1970). Genetic Epistemology. New York,Columbia University Press.
Rita Vuyk (1981). Overview and Critique of Piaget's Genetic Epistemology, 1965-1980. Academic Press.
Beryl A. Geber (ed.) (1977). Piaget and Knowing: Studies in Genetic Epistemology. Routledge & K. Paul.
Thomas Kesselring (1994). A Comparison Between Evolutionary and Genetic Epistemology Or: Jean Piaget's Contribution to a Post-Darwinian Epistemology. Journal for General Philosophy of Science 25 (2):293 - 325.
Jonathan Y. Tsou (2006). Genetic Epistemology and Piaget's Philosophy of Science: Piaget Vs. Kuhn on Scientific Progress. Theory and Psychology 16 (2):203-224.
C. A. Hooker (1994). Regulatory Constructivism: On the Relation Between Evolutionary Epistemology and Piaget's Genetic Epistemology. Biology and Philosophy 9 (2):197-244.
Ash Gobar (1968). Philosophic Foundations Of Genetic Psychology And Gestalt Psychology. Martinus Nilboff.
Jacques Montangero (1985). Genetic Epistemology: Yesterday and Today. Graduate School and University Center, City University of New York.
Richard F. Kitchener (1985). Genetic Epistemology, History of Science and Genetic Psychology. Synthese 65 (1):3 - 31.
Richard F. Kitchener (1981). The Nature and Scope of Genetic Epistemology. Philosophy of Science 48 (3):400-415.
Analytics
Monthly downloads |
Added to index2009-01-28Total downloads17 ( #70,994 of 548,984 )Recent downloads (6 months)1 ( #63,327 of 548,984 )How can I increase my downloads? |
My notes
Discussion
